This week 3
different people in my Parkinson’s exercise classes asked me about proper
sitting posture. If you do not have PD, keep reading, this information is for
everyone. You may need to improve your own sitting posture. I will spend the
next couple of weeks talking about posture.
Question 1: When I’m sitting my back
hurts… Is it my chair?
Proper
sitting posture is a combination of the chair and your body alignment, but
mostly the later. I’ve sat in terribly designed chairs and was able to align my
body correctly, but I sure wouldn’t own a chair like that.
I will start with alignment, since the answers to these questions will all fall back on these rules.
Two of my students with Parkinson’s hit their
head at home recently. One tried to break through a freezing gait and fell,
hitting his head and hand. The other came up under a cupboard that was open,
and the impact split the skin on her scalp. I thought this was a good topic to
cover since we do have falls from time to time in class. I am referring to the
Mayo Clinic page as a reference.
Rarely does a bump on the head result in
serious injury. Injuries to the forehead and scalp often result in a lot of bleeding
under the skin because there is a rich blood supply to this area. When the
bleeding is in just one area, it causes bruising and swelling (hematoma).
Even a minor head bump can cause a large amount of swelling. Speed, momentum, size of the person, and the surface hit (concrete floor vs carpet) may increase the possibility of serious injury.
When I do a
Parkinson’s assessment, I am testing the individual’s multitasking ability by
asking them to follow a rhythm (metronome) in multiple ways. They do upper
body, clapping, walking, marching, and I add on layers of movement. Then I ask,
“Do you enjoy dancing?” So often they respond with “Yes, I did. But now I can’t.”
Sometimes they say, “Now I just look dumb.”
If you know me, I am
not going to let this topic rest. I have to remind them that I just saw them
duel-tasking to a beat, so yes, they can still dance! They are just out of
practice and lost some of their confidence.
Individuals and/or couples often don’t dance unless they are at a wedding, or in front of people without PD and are self-conscious. Well guess what? All that’s needed is a little bit of practice, just like any other skill. You can dance at home with your sweetheart (it’s fun!) or take a dance class with us!
Yet another study has been published showing that dance can reverse the signs of aging in the brain! We’ve known for years that exercise can improve age-related brain degeneration and cognitive impairment through neuroplasticity. This is especially true of dancing because it requires more than just motor skills; there is more “thinking” associated with it. Dancing is fun and great for your brain!
Last week we
talked about rounded posture and tucked pelvis that often results from
Parkinson’s disease. What can we do about it? We fight with squats!!
Hip hinging (squatting
with proper form) is a great way to counter act this.
With proper hip hinging, it allows the sacrum and tail bone to hinge outward like it is supposed to. The trick is to start early, before the bones of the lower back start to fuse in this stooped position. However, even people with advance stooped posture can benefit from this exercise. By sticking your “tail feathers” in the air as you squat back, it gives you access to your glute muscles and helps restore normal curves in your spine. It also reminds the leg bones where they are supposed to be in the pelvis, so walking can improve.
I start all my clients with or without Parkinson’s with hip hinging. This is the most important exercise to do for better posture, balance and fall prevention.
It is
all about the base when teaching people with Parkinson’s to hinge at the hip,
and by “base” I mean hips or your tail-end.
Hip hinge (proper squatting form) is probably the most important
movement principle to train for balance and to maintain independence.
We need proper
hip hinge and pelvic placement to bend, sit in a chair, walk, stand, etc.
It is the
foundation of movement. With Parkinson’s, so often I see the pelvis tucked
under in a posterior tilt. The person is basically “sitting” on their tail bone
vs having it out and behind their body. This fixed tucked position is very
dangerous for backward falling and serious injury to the low back. Very often
the person complains of low back and hip pain because the lumbar curve (your
shock absorber) is almost eliminated. This posture also creates a faulty gait
pattern.
Therefore, I
always start my clients out with hip hinging in my private practice. Turning on
the glutes and getting that tail out is key to any training program. If this
faulty pattern is allowed to continue, the knees will stay bent during all
phases of walking (to maintain balance). The person’s weight would have
completely shifted to the heels, making them a huge risk for falling backwards.
To compound the problem even further, these individuals usually have a rounded
upper back and forward head to counterbalance their weight being drawn
backward.
It happens
so gradually that the person isn’t even aware it’s happening until they have
pain or balance issues. Some clients don’t know what I’m talking about until I show
them a picture.
